Quirky power pop, splattered with humour and self-effacing jibes.  5 Notes, the debut EP from Liverpool-based ‘queer-baked scuzz’ songwriter/producer is an endearingly weird statement of intent.

INTRODUCING… TRIAL TAPES

Otherwise known as Jack McNally, Trial tapes is a Liverpool-based ‘queer-baked scuzz’ songwriter and producer.  He draws his stage name from a variety of sources: a desktop folder labelled “Trial Takes” that he came across, a 2022 BBC documentary (AIDS: The Unheard Tapes) and the thrill that Jack experiences when he records vocals onto a cassette tape.

Jack has been known to describe his music as: “synth-washed indie rock” and, by citing such influences as Courtney Barnett, Kim Deal, Man On Man, Jai Paul and Tears For Fears he, perhaps, sets expectations that aren’t entirely matched by his debut EP, 5 Notes.  Not that that’s a bad thing, in any way whatsoever.

FINDING A COFFIN

I truly didn’t know what to expect when I took 5 Notes for a spin, but it wasn’t the solid, crunchy guitars that drive opening track Slowpoke along.  Jack completes the picture by adding handclaps to his Lennon-like vocals and, with lines like: “I’ve been dead for a long time, and I just didn’t know…” the whole affair is self-effacing and, actually, rather joyful.

A ‘down-the-phone’ vocal leads into the chugging, powerful riffs of 42.  Jack imagines the future state of a projected relationship, as he sings his lyrics: “When I’m 40 and you’re 42, in a fight against your body clock, ticking in twos,” as the background distortion increases.  And that distortion issues a timely reminder – it’s maybe wise not to take Jack’s quasi-anguish too much to heart…

It’s with the excellent Coughing Fit that Jack’s cited Tears For Fears influence becomes most evident.  There’ a bubbly 1980s feel in amongst the fuzzy backing and the song has a fairground kind of mood.  There’s more fun in Jack’s lyrics, as he admits that the state of his lungs is causing him to age prematurely and that: “Between my coughing fits, I’m finding a coffin to fit me.”

HILARIOUSLY OFF-KILTER

Staccato bursts of keyboard introduce Leopard Print Skulls, a slower-paced song that is, possibly, the quirkiest and most enduring track on the EP.  The song’s title may nod in the direction of Dylan, but the vocals are pure Lennon, and there’s a lot going on – particularly between the verses.

The vivid guitars are back for the punchy Sliding, the EP’s closing track.  Jack’s lyrics: “Fly tape caught me in my early days; I’m sleeping on a rail replacement service” are, once again, hilariously off-kilter, and Jack delivers them in a dreamy voice.  And things get seriously weird during the song’s “Bop-bah-bah” interludes.

This first taste of Trial Tapes is thoroughly engaging – endearingly weird.  Does he have any more of this stuff up his sleeve?  Let’s hope so…

Watch the official video to Leopard Print Skulls – a track from the EP – below:

Trial Tapes: Bandcamp

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